What would you do if your computer died?

[Kryssa]

Hypothetically...

You're at a dive resort for a week and you get 5 days of unlimited dives- for you, that's about 5 per day. It's the middle of the 2nd dive and your computer runs out of battery. You surface, slowly and safely with your buddy, with no incident. You're now back at the resort about to have lunch with 2 afternoon dives and a night dive planned...

What do you do? Call the rest of the dive day off? Dive shallow, short dives? Go off your buddy's computer- after all, he was right there with you for the first 2 dives? You have access to a rental computer or you can replace your computer's battery, but either way, the computer you'd wear for the rest of the day doesn't have your residual nitrogen figured in.

My husband and I were discussing this today. Try to be honest with yourself. Imagine you only get maybe one serious dive trip a year. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

 

[rickthompson]

As long as I wasn't going too deep on the previous dives, I might try to salvage one more shallow dive that day on tables/buddy's computer and then get a nice long 12-18 hour surface interval before starting up with the new computer the next day.

 

[ADeadlierSnake]

You are never supposed to use your buddies dive computer for yourself, even if he/she was right there with you. My advice to you would be to learn the tables. That way you can still dive without a computer. In fact, most of the divers I know and dive with (myself included) dont even use a computer to begin with.

 

[Thiad]

Wear a watch or a timer and make sure you know your bottom times and surface intervals. If you have this information, you can use tables for the last dive. While you cut the computer failure dive short, you still can safely dive the remaining dives. People dove without computers for years and they still do!

However, (and please - I'm not trying to be argumentative) preventing this type of situation is relatively easy. Change your battery annually or more and watch the battery indicator closely. Preventive maintenance goes a long way in saving a dive!

 

[dmoore19]

1. Not to be flippant, I would start using my back up computer.
2. Continue your dives using tables.
3. If you wish to continue using a computer, rent the computer that is available and take it with you. Be sure to use your tables for the first day, give yourself an ample surface interval before returning to diving the next day to be sure you have cleared the nitrogen. 18-24 hours.

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

I'll ask my buddy to watch out for signs of DCS from me for the rest of the day.

 

[requin02]

Get a refresher course on dive tables...easy as a breeze to plan your dives safely.

 

[Peter_C]

Grab another bottom timer or use my watch that functions as such for the remainder of the trip. The tables don't break.

 

[RJP]

1.) I would complete the current dive based on my dive plan, bottom timer, and SPG
2.) I would do the rest of the planned dives that day based on dive plans made with V-Planner, bottom timer, and SPG
3.) I would do the rest of the planned dives that week based on dive plans made with V-Planner, bottom timer, and SPG

If you actually plan your dives... a computer failure is a mere nuisance.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

As most of these people said. Tables. I plan all my dives on tables anyway. The computer is a back up. Also try to dive square profiles whenever possible. Don't need to dip into every little valley and follow every contour.
You can also use depth averaging and tables.
Do multilevel dives with the tables or find an old PADI wheel and learn to use it.
Dive with a back up bottom timer or cheap computer in gauge mode. Cheap, gives you all the info you need, and as long as you pay attention to it, no big deal if the main craps out.
Cut one of your afternoon dives out. You should be paying attention to your surface intervals and bottom times anyway. Not relying on the computer to keep track of them for you.

Finally, do not let anyone plan your dives for you. Especially a DM or Guide. And don't follow them if their plans make you uncomfortable or don't mesh with yours. The "We do this all the time, you'll be fine" gets people hurt.
Always have a back up plan even if you do decide to follow the DM or Guide so you can end your dive at any time regardless of what they do.